Combating tobacco industry use of

Concepts such as "corporate social responsibility" and "personal responsibility" can have laudable and honorable connotations. They can be used to promote a more moral and ethical code of conduct on the part of both industry and individual. But in the employ of the tobacco industry, they have been twisted in a perverse and Orwellian fashion that bears no resemblance to the underlying principles that underpin them. To avoid liability and regulation, the tobacco industry continues its practice of shifting blame for smoking-related injuries onto smokers and denying the dangers of exposure to secondhand smoke, while simultaneously trying to build a new corporate image around the slogan "we've changed." By exposing this latest gambit on the part of the tobacco industry, through the use of internal industry documents, trial testimony, and proposed and existing regulations, this information can be used to form the basis of an effective countermarketing campaign for tobacco control advocates to use to improve public health. Studies have shown that focusing on the tobacco industry's manipulation of the general public and its customers has a positive effect on persuading youth and young adults to avoid or quit smoking, and has a galvanizing effect on momentum for increased regulation on tobacco industry activities and creating smokefree zones. This presentation will reveal the findings of our investigation into how the tobacco industry has manipulated and twisted the concepts of corporate social responsibility and personal responsibility, and will recommend ways of combating and countering its efforts.